A mother mouse, frantically searching for her lost child, is horrified to see a massive gorilla emerge from the depths of the forest and head in her direction. Despite his shouted command that she "Stop!," the mouse turns tail and flees, convinced that the gorilla means her harm. Racing around the world, through China, American, Australia and the Arctic, the mouse stays one step ahead of her terrifying pursuer, continually lamenting - "He'll catch me! / He'll squash me and scratch me, / He'll mince me and mash me, / And crunch me up for lunch!" - until finally she runs out of steam. Will the gorilla harm her? Or has he been pursuing her for another reason...?

The answer to this question is fairly obvious - I knew from the very beginning, just how the story would turn out, and why the gorilla appeared just when he did - but getting to the conclusion is half the fun. The repetition of the mouse's refrain keeps the tension alive in the narrative, while Tony Ross's energetic pastel illustrations grab the reader's attention, and keep it. This is only the third picture-book I have read, from the prolific British children's author, Jeanne Willis - the first two were the adorable The Bog Baby, and The King of Tiny Things - and the first from illustrator Tony Ross, but I suspect it will not be my last! Recommended to young readers who enjoy animal tales, or stories with sing-song refrains. ( )

This is a story about a misunderstanding between a mouse and a gorilla. The ending is quite cute.

I would incorporate this story when showing how some situation get out of hand by accident.

I would have the children tell of a time when they thought one thing but it wss actually something else going on.

this one had a nice message that the little mouse didn't need to be scared of the big gorilla. ( )

One pongoid's relentless quest to reunite a mouse with its timid mother. But why? ( )

This is a great book about the pitfalls of making snap judgements. Sweet, and it feels very true to life. ( )